21. 'Chronicle' (2012)

The anti-genre genre film, more about the nature of superheroes themselves than being a superhero movie. Ambitious and mediocre in equal measure, it's also evidence of the genre's next stage: Low-budget filmmaking so self-conscious and smitten with the existing genre conventions, it's unwilling to create any new ones. Everything about superheroes is understood. It's premature nostalgia.

The anti-genre genre film, more about the nature of superheroes themselves than being a superhero movie. Ambitious and mediocre in equal measure, it's also evidence of the genre's next stage: Low-budget filmmaking so self-conscious and smitten with the existing genre conventions, it's unwilling to create any new ones. Everything about superheroes is understood. It's premature nostalgia.

The anti-genre genre film, more about the nature of superheroes themselves than being a superhero movie. Ambitious and mediocre in equal measure, it's also evidence of the genre's next stage: Low-budget filmmaking so self-conscious and smitten with the existing genre conventions, it's unwilling to create any new ones. Everything about superheroes is understood. It's premature nostalgia.